Utilities and energies such as electricity, gas and water have been supplied based on maximum demand system until now, and energy charges have been paid by a flat rate schedule.
However, it is recently suggested to enforce changes to billing system for applying a differential rate to an energy bill based on a time slot or a season in order to more effectively use limited energy source and reduce energy consumption.
As a method and a technique for promoting the effective use of energy, a smart grid and a smart meter are focused on.
As a next-generation power network, a smart grid delivers electricity from providers to consumers using two-way real-time information technology to control appliances at consumer homes to save energy, reduce cost, increase reliability and transparency and provide value-added services.
From the point of energy consumer, the smart grid may provide the public with more rational consumption by finding a proper time slot for using energy based on differential energy rate.
A smart meter is an energy meter supported by communicating function that identifies energy consumption in more detail than that of a conventional meter. The smart meter enables a two-way communication between an energy provider and energy consumer via some and a real-time monitoring.
Thus, the smart meter may be used for billing purposes so that it is unnecessary for a meterman to come to read a meter in the house. Since the smart meter may support a real-time check of energy consumption, it is possible to reduce management cost for energy provider, and energy costs for energy consumer.
Further, information related to user energy consumption may be provided via communication networks such as an interne so that a customer may always check the information through various communication devices such as a web, a mobile phone and a television.
If the smart grid and the smart meter are applied to energy system, active energy management is possible in real-time.
However, energy consumption is not one-time or sporadic but continual, and energy is not infinite but limited resources. Thus, information regarding future energy use as well as current situation of energy use may be a critical factor for a rational decision related to energy supply or consumption.